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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226535">This peach sorbet is sweet and so are you.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoXeLua/pseuds/PhoXeLua'>PhoXeLua</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Post-Time Skip, Reader is Not My Unit | Byleth, Slight spoilers for Ashen Wolves and Golden Deer route sorta, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, c-s support lul, i really tried to get into yuri's character but i still feel like he's a bit too ooc :(, sort of i tried to make it slow burn, spoilers for yuri's past</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:54:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,007</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226535</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoXeLua/pseuds/PhoXeLua</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What does the ever so elusive Yuri want with you?</p>
<p>In which you are the sole heir to your family's merchant company and Yuri strikes a deal with you that will eventually lead to something more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This peach sorbet is sweet and so are you.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>guys i have not gone outside in days. i've been playing games until i go cross eyed &gt;.&lt;</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's days like this when you realize just how little time you have left to enjoy your youth. Currently lunch time, the dining hall is a bumbling hub for everyone to meet together. Lively as always! The carefree atmosphere that settles the room is contagious, making a soft smile spread across your face.</p>
<p>What awaits you after graduating Garreg Mach is a life of stifling business ventures and, unfortunately, responsibilities. Though you would be financially set for life, as it comes with being the sole heiress of your family's generations long trading company, you have little autonomy now and in the future.</p>
<p>You space out in the food line, deciding whether eating sweets now will ruin your appetite, when you hear someone call your name. "Just the woman I was looking for! You don't happen to be busy, don't you?" There's only a couple of purple haired men on campus, and his particular style strikes you as androgynous.</p>
<p>He takes you by surprise and you raise your eyebrows in slight shock. "Oh, you're the House Rowe boy. Yuri, isn't it?" You cross your arms and look at him curiously. "Rare to see you up on the surface."</p>
<p>"Well, is it wrong of me to want to eat with my classmate? How do you feel about peach sorbet?" The frozen, fruity treat does sound very good right now, so perhaps you will indulge him.</p>
<p>"Sounds good to me."</p>
<p>The land of the goddess is in the shape of a peach, you think as you savor the dessert. Those purple eyes are peering at you as if searching for something, and to be honest, that plus the silence makes you feel uncomfortable. </p>
<p>You swallow your current spoonful and shift on the wooden bench. "It's odd, I would have thought that you'd be the one getting lunch invitations, with your group of admirers and all." A smirk creeps up on Yuri's face but he's still quiet and staring at you. "Surely they're a more interesting company than me?"</p>
<p>He chuckles and crosses his arms, leaning back. Not a single dent into his melting sorbet. "Is it wrong of me to want to chat with a friend? Hear a guy out will ya?"</p>
<p>The mere notion of you two being friends makes you raise an eyebrow incredulously. A bold claim, though it is coming from Yuri of all people. You two had pretty much never spoken before this exchange.</p>
<p>"I have a favor to ask–" You were expecting this part. "–a little birdy told me of your generous soul."</p>
<p>Voice slightly muffled with more food, you speak. "You'll have to be more specific than that if you need my help." </p>
<p>"Yes, yes. I'm getting to that part," Yuri starts and folds his hands on the table, "I need your help securing supplies for Abyss. As an upcoming business woman, surely you've seen the inflation in the markets."</p>
<p>He sighs and rests his cheek on his hand. "We're barely scraping by these days." Purple eyes peer into yours again for an answer. "Now that you've heard the proposal, what do you say?" Your sorbet is melting, so you take in another bite. The smooth, but still a bit grainy, texture rolls around your tongue. This is really tasty, you think.</p>
<p>He looks like he's about to speak when you beat him to it. "There's been more cases of pillaging and thieves. I thought the Knights were dispatched to deal with the problem." It's not the response Yuri is expecting, but he also didn't expect an immediate answer.</p>
<p>"Yes, they have, but you know how slow the formalities are. With the prices everything is at now, and with how little funding we get already, it'll be difficult for us, the Abyssians." Confident that you'll agree, he continues. "It's just for a couple months, or until the prices are regular again."</p>
<p>The cup you had is now empty, while Yuri's is turning into fruity soup. What a waste. "What's in it for me? It'll be a bit troublesome to secure supplies at a time like this."</p>
<p>Damn, you're still not budging. No matter, as per his motto, he won't do something unless he knows it'll go his way. "You'll have a rag-tag gang of hooligans to protect your goods, ma'am. I'll assure you that no harm will fall on the merchant carts under my care." The formal title makes you cringe slightly.</p>
<p>Doesn't sound too bad, you think. You'll have to write home to your parents about the deal, much to your dismay, but they do give you some control of the company. Though, something else is missing. "I'll need to see what Abyss is like for myself, Yuri. I'll agree, but I also need to know how dire the situation is down there."</p>
<p>He flashes you a small smile and nods, which means you can grab seconds. You get up, leaving Yuri alone.</p>
<p>A little persuasion but still nothing difficult, in fact, it was almost too easy. He scoops some of the now liquidy dessert. "Ah, maybe I should get some more. I was looking forward to eating this…"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's on a free day when you both decide to have Yuri show you around Abyss. Just like the dining hall, the underground town is also bursting with activity. The people passing by stare at you, some even glaring, but otherwise, show respect to their leader. You and Yuri are at an open air-bridge that crosses a line of flowing water. </p>
<p>"It's quite interesting down here," you say loudly, testing the tunnel's acoustics, "a whole community right under Garreg Mach!" One inhale too deep causes you to scrunch up your nose. "Though the smell leaves something to be desired."</p>
<p>His laugh echoes around you. "Abyss coincides with the sewage system, princess." The walls are lit with torches and there's a draft that makes you shiver. You walk, small but comfortable talk between you both, until you reach the town square.</p>
<p>Hapi and Constance look at you curiously, your presence interrupting their precious conversation. "It's a surprise seeing you down here," Constance starts and gives you a one over. </p>
<p>Hapi nods and squints at you. Your fellow classmates don't seem too keen on having an outsider like you down in Abyss, despite your shared houses. "Yeah, didn't think a rich girl like you would be down here." </p>
<p>"Ladies, lighten up will you? She's just looking around Abyss to see what it's like." Yuri steps in front of you and you silently thank him for it. They intimidate you a bit, but only because you don't talk to them or the other Abyssians at all. "She'll be running the supply line down here."</p>
<p>"Oh, that's wonderful to hear! Perhaps you can be of assistance to me in restoring House Nuvelle."</p>
<p>"Save it, Coco, can't you see they're busy? Anyway,  yeah, so I've been thinking about clearing some of the rubble in the arena to…"</p>
<p>Their voices trail off as you continue walking. Yuri leads the way, pointing at some of the ran down hobble shacks and waving hello to its citizens. "What do you think so far?"</p>
<p>"It's quite amazing, actually. Helping these people out will be a feat, but I'll be glad to assist in any way." The lump of gold that is your heart is priceless, or perhaps you have a hero complex that needs addressing. Maybe both.</p>
<p>Whatever it is, the answer will have to wait because he places a hand on your shoulder, lamenting the difficulties of running a place like this under the church's nose–how they keep them on a tight leash yet still operating. You don't ask for the semantics of the relationship between Abyss and the church. Despite living in such a dilapidated home, the people can be clearly seen smiling and laughing. Such happiness in humility is something you've never known in your life.</p>
<p>You recall being confined to your estate and playing every day with the other children of rich families, nobles and the like, while your older brother was cooped up inside learning the secrets of the trade. Carefree and happy as the current kids before you, you couldn't help but feel lonely then too. He was always cold to you, not until he suddenly eloped with some woman your family hardly knew. That left the responsibility of inheriting the company to you, and here you are, still shackled down by the expectations of your parents and high society. </p>
<p>Yuri's voice ground you back to reality, interrupting your reminiscing session. "We make do with what we have, but it's still difficult, of course. I have some questions for you, Ms. Heiress."</p>
<p>You stop in your tracks and tilt your head. "Surely you must know the unsavory nature surrounding me, no? What would your parents think?"</p>
<p>You tell him that you haven't told your parents about the deal, yet. What you would give in order to see their faces when they find a band of Yuri's mercenaries at their doorstep… "You're blacklisted in many merchant families, including mine."</p>
<p>You shrug in response to his shocked look. "If they found out you went here, they'd pull me out of Garreg Mach. However–" You walk in front of him and twirl around to smile cheekily. "–that sort of business is between you and my parents. I'm helping you out of my own accord. I couldn't care less about what they think."</p>
<p>Purple locks shake in disapproval but his laugh gives away the falseness of it. "You surprise me. You're going through all that trouble, and for what? You know this isn't an even deal."</p>
<p>Yuri crosses his arms and bends down to your height, smirking. "Could it be that you like me?" You reel back in response and turn around to cover the red dusting your cheeks. </p>
<p>"Maybe, maybe not. Whatever it is, I just think that it's the duty of the wealthy to use it for good." Anymore of that, and you'd start to sound like Lorenz. </p>
<p>"What a boring answer, but still, how kind of you. You're much more different than all the other rich people I've swindled." However, is it swindling if you willingly submit to his charms? Yuri is starting to grow on you, and you silently become excited at the thought of rebelling against your parents. Ugh, silly thoughts, begone! Your tour ends with that, and it fills you with courage to write home to your folks. Not that it really matters, since you've already begun to deploy your own carts to aid Abyss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yuri is in his barracks, lying on the top bed and staring at the ceiling. Balthus is snoring away peacefully, unaware of how noisy he is. You've never known the hardships he's had to go through just to get where he is, and you, who was born with a silver spoon and handed everything to you on a gilded plate. How unfair, he bitterly laughs. Yet despite this, he can't come to loathe you. You're aware of just who he is, how unfair your little proposal is, all the trouble you'll go through, and yet despite this you still choose to help him. </p>
<p>Yuri has had his fair share of sucking rich nobles dry, but the only noble that exists in you is in your heart. You have nothing to gain and it perplexes him, scares him even. Like a moth to a flame, he's fascinated by an enigma such as yourself. A kindness that can be seen in a child's pure heart, and yet you lack the naivety of one. Still, he takes care to not get too close, lest he get burned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Two months have passed since then, and you have grown closer with each other. Sharing stories, tea, and peach sorbet–many have witnessed the blooming friendship, causing you two to be the center of gossip. You hardly pay any attention to it, though. </p>
<p>You're in your room, lying on your bed as you burn mental holes in the crinkled letter from your parents. Thieves, House Rowe, Yuri. Those words imprint themselves in your brain as you gloss over it again and again. The Knights have done little to stop the pillaging, so it seems.</p>
<p>A knock at your door, and the familiar sound of footsteps alerts you with the presence of the main subject of the letter. "It's odd seeing you so down, my friend." You fold the paper in half and haphazardly hide its contents from his piercing purple eyes. </p>
<p>"C'mon you're gonna have to do better than that," he sighs and crosses his arms. The mattress dips down with the new weight and he pokes your cheek, making you swat away his hand in annoyance. You hesitate for a moment but relent. You had to tell him eventually. Handing the letter to him, you sit up and frown as he reads it. </p>
<p>"They want me to cut off all ties from you. Accusing you and your people of stealing from us." You sound exasperated and so, Yuri pats your back in hopes that it'll comfort you. "They were mad enough that I didn't tell them immediately about the supply line, but now they're seriously threatening to pull me out of Garreg Mach."</p>
<p>You wring your hands and furrow your brows. "I don't care about that, though. They're also threatening to tell the church if I don't do something about it."</p>
<p>"But I know you, and I know your people. You wouldn't steal unless you had good reason to, and I sincerely hope that we're good enough friends that you don't feel the need to take from me without asking." </p>
<p>Arms thrown in the air, you flop back onto the bed and groan loudly. "It just doesn't make sense, Yuri! I overlook the inventory and what sells and what not. My reports do not match up to their accusations. I swear on the goddess that everything is right, nothing was stolen."</p>
<p>A heavy, pregnant silence befalls your room and you blush in embarrassment. "A-ah, I didn't mean to burst out like that. Sorry."</p>
<p>He pushes your body to make room for him to lie down with you. You snap your eyes down to make sure his shoes are off. "It seems as though they don't want their little princess associating with a shady man like me." Yuri's body is close to yours, but with how touchy feely you are, the skinship is normal for you two. A hand reaches up to rub in between your eyebrows and you make a noise of confusion. "Better stop doing that or you'll get wrinkles."</p>
<p>"Ugh, you sound like my mother." Still, the sentiment makes you smile and some of the tension is released from your mind. "I know you're very shady, but I know that you're also extremely kind. I've seen the way you treat the Abyssians, and how you sing to the children, you're a good person."</p>
<p>Yuri slightly reels back at the mention of his singing. The mere thought of being considered good-natured made him laugh internally. Leave it to you to surprise him. "A kind man wouldn't stoop so low, you know. I've done many, many terrible things that you would never know."</p>
<p>You frown and open your mouth to speak but he beats you. "But still, my people wouldn't steal from you unless I ordered it, so you're right." Simmering on his words, you curl your knees up to your chest and turn away from those eyes that know too much. </p>
<p>"Even if I attach the inventory reports to them, they won't listen to me. That's just the way they are." Eyes squeezed shut, you can feel tears pin prick them. "I-I'm sorry Yuri. My hands are tied and I can't do anything." I'm sorry for being useless you mutter after. He hears it perfectly, and turns to face your back.</p>
<p>"You've done more than enough, and for that, no thank yous will match that." His voice is so soft that it makes you want to burst out crying. A warm hand rubs your arm and you let out a choked out sob. "I don't blame you for what your parents think. You said it yourself, remember?"</p>
<p>Indeed you do. "You pull your people out, and I will with mine.I have no qualms about that but," he punctuates, "I do have one problem with what your parents said."</p>
<p>Just one, you bitterly think. "I don't want to stay away from you. I'd miss your company, not the business company, but you." You couldn't tell if Yuri was sweet talking and didn't mean the words, but in your distraught state, you took them at face value. </p>
<p>You laugh dryly and finally meet his soft gaze. Were his eyes always that gentle and lovely? Who knows. "That was a terrible joke, Yuri," you mumble. "Apologies if I'm being a burden, I'm sure there is happier company to be around than me."</p>
<p>A finger pokes your cheek again and he scoffs. "It got you to smile though, and that's what counts." The emotional toll the exchange took made you tired, and so your eyelids feel heavy. Soon enough, you fall asleep on him and he playfully sighs. "My, my, just what am I going to do with you?"</p>
<p>You're an enigma, a flower among a field of many that somehow managed to catch his eyes. Do you feel the same way about Yuri as he does with you? He hopes so. Still, the idea of you two being officially together, to go someplace beyond friendship, sounds like blasphemy to him. You're too good for him, too pure and untouched by this cruel world and yet being the greedy man he is, he yearns for you anyway.</p>
<p>For now, he'll keep his feelings under lock and key, cherishing these peaceful moments with you while time permits.</p>
<p>And so like a moth to a flame, he is attracted to you, but now he doesn't mind getting burned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your blissful, carefree academy days of your youth fly by. It's been five long years since you last saw your classmates, your friends, and you wonder how they're all doing. You're not as energetic as your younger counterpart, choosing to stay in rather than go out, and opting for quieter settings. </p>
<p>Becoming the head of your family's company exposed you to the wretched greed that comes with war, price gouging essentials and driving them so high that the common folk could barely afford. Thieves and pillagers have gone on the rise too, in consequence to the broken economy. </p>
<p>You've resorted to hiring mercenaries to protect the nearby villages surrounding your estate. You do your best to support the people, providing resources and jobs, and even going so far as to aiding the Leicester homefront with supplies. Juggling all of this for the past five years has left you stressed, tired, and perhaps a bit jaded. Your faith in the goddess has certainly waned.</p>
<p>Returning to the monastery at what should've been the millennium festival seemed like a ridiculous notion, but you made a promise with your friends that you will reunite on the fated day. </p>
<p>Flying down on your pegasus, your trusty rapier and tome strapped to your waist, you swoop down on the meeting. Claude and Hilda wave to you, hollering your name. "Hey, you're late! Help us clear a path, will ya?" The head of the Riegan family is as persuasive as ever. </p>
<p>The pink-haired wyvern rider reigns in her partner. "Oh, it's so good to see my old shopping partner again! Here I thought you forgot about me." You smile softly and shake your head no.</p>
<p>"Students, focus please!" That voice came from none other than your beloved professor. Her pale-green locks stand out among the battlefield. You have not heard from Byleth in years and yet she's still a fearsome warrior as back then. </p>
<p>You quickly scan the field for your other friends and find them, waving hello, however the one person you were hoping to see isn't anywhere. With worry in the back of your mind, you all quickly dispatch the thieves and settle at the ruins of the chapel.</p>
<p>"Yeesh, talk about wrecked," Hilda remarks. "Those imperial soldiers did a number on the monastery." You nod in agreement as you walk together. Restoration was left primarily up to you both and you decided that a survey of the campus was needed. How ever weak your faith is, you silently pray for the safety of Abyss, for the rest of your friends. You come to the conclusion that Hilda would reach out to the local artisans for help.</p>
<p>You go your separate ways. You continue walking absentmindedly until you reach your old room. Ransacked, of course. Some of the old perfumes you curated still litter the shelves here and there, but the overall mess makes you slightly irritated. Your bed has been stripped of its sheets, barren and dusty. It whines pathetically at the stress your body is putting on it.</p>
<p>Many countless memories come flooding back to you, but one particular moment remains persistent. When Yuri comforted you, you felt an inkling of hope that maybe your affections could be returned. Alas, your cowardice got the best of you and you never told him. Those five years left you a tad pessimistic, but you still hope that your first love is alive and well. You've already had enough time mulling over your regrets. Still, you attempt to seek him out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The journey to the underground is difficult. Rubble blocked off a lot of the old convenient routes, and the sun is beginning to set. The thought of dinner doesn't cross your mind, no, not until you can find him. You check the entrance behind the greenhouse, shrouded in vines, and silently celebrate at the hole before you. </p>
<p>Many times have you made this trek, and more memories between you both come back tenfold, causing you to pick up your pace. You scrunch up your dress and hop over large pieces of debris. People still live down here, some of them even recognizing you and pointing you to the right direction. They say Yuri is still here, and your hopes of seeing him again makes your palms sweaty. You don't want to believe it until you see him with your own eyes.</p>
<p>In your feverish thoughts, you accidentally bump into a tall man and stumble back a bit with an "oof." Looking at the ground in shame, you open your mouth to apologize, a familiar voice utters your name. Shooting your head up, you feel as though miracles do exist. Yuri, in the flesh before you, and you have to blink twice to see if he's real before reaching out to really double check that it's him. </p>
<p>You immediately pull each other into a hug and he laughs, tugging at your heart with how relieved he sounds. "I never thought that you'd come back," he whispers into the crook of your neck. "It's so good to see you again, my friend." It takes every ounce of his being to not replace the endearing term with "love." Yuri is not prepared for that yet, not ready to lose you again if you reject him. You respond with a squeeze to his lithe, but muscled frame. Parting, you both silently wish that you didn't have to.</p>
<p>What would happen now? In truth, after being forced to flee Garreg Mach, and returning home, you put up walls around your fragile heart. Your circumstances, or perhaps your cowardice, left you stuck. Attempting to find the elusive Yuri felt like a distant dream to you. However, now that you know that he's alive and well (they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but did it apply to physical appearance too?), you didn't know what to do. You obviously didn't want to hide your feelings again, now that lives are at stake, but part of you is still deathly scared at the thought of rejection. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Life picks up where it last left off for you two, and little by little, the walls you both desperately built up come falling, brick by brick. Teasing remarks from your fellow classmates, especially with the likes of Dorothea and Hilda, ask when you two will become official. We're just friends! And they'd respond with a yeah, right and a chuckle. For now, you're fine with the way things are.</p>
<p>Countless nights of staying up to finish paperwork tampered with your circadian rhythm, which put you where you are now. A walk around the campus at night to clear the mind. The sky is particularly clear today, and the stars litter the pitch navy blue with white. It's not your turn to go on night watch, but you wouldn't mind if it meant for views like this. They remind you of simpler, more peaceful times.</p>
<p>You stop a ways off from the pier, spotting a silhouette facing towards the water. Is it odd to recognize the back of someone's head at night? You approach quietly, not wanting to disturb his deep pondering. "Yuri…" It comes out softly, and the sudden noise makes him turn around.</p>
<p>Startled, but hiding it. "You!" Cringing at the sound of his high pitched voice, he clears his throat with a cough and promptly turns back around. He's dressed in just an open white blouse and some baggy pants, clearly dressed for sleep. "Odd seeing you out here."</p>
<p>You cross your arms and stand next to him. "The same could be said for you, Yuri. Why are you out so late?" Granted, you are out here too. </p>
<p>Thinking about you, about us, about everything, is what he wanted to say. How the soft blue light shines down on you that if Yuri was asked what the goddess looked like, he'd show them you, simply ethereal. All that leaves his mouth is  "Just thinking."</p>
<p>You frown and prod him further. "It's like you to leave people hanging like that. Come on, out with it."</p>
<p>"Usually I'm the one exposing secrets," he chuckles but it sounds forced. "The moon looks beautiful, doesn't it?" All you do is tap your finger against your forearm in mock impatience. "Fine, fine. You've mastered one cold glare."</p>
<p>"You've seen how awful it is living up here, but think about what Abyss had to go through. Who knows how long this goddess forsaken war will last, and the longer it does, the harder it is to live down there." Closing his eyes and sighing, he continues.</p>
<p>"They've got nowhere else to go but underground. I try counting my blessings, oddly enough. Those people need me and I don't know what else I can do for them at this point." Yuri is especially tender at this moment and you can tell, wanting to reach out and hold his hand, tell him everything will be okay. However, you settle with just touching his arm. His shoulders visibly relax at the gesture.</p>
<p>You coax him into sitting down with you at the dock, looking out into the waters below. You recall the bountifuls of fish you would catch in your youth when the ladies running the dining hall would ask for your help. Silence falls on you two, but you are the first to break it.</p>
<p>"I see that war hasn't tampered with your kindness, Yuri," you start and turn to face him with a gentle smile, "I'm glad." When you look at him with that soft gleam in your eyes, your heart displayed so openly, it makes him want to hold you close and never let go.</p>
<p>You're still the same too, Yuri wants to say, the same woman I'm utterly and hopelessly in love with. Five years without seeing you, but knowing fully well that you were alive and thriving, was both torture and rapture at the same time. Still, he could not abandon his position just to go off looking for you. If I could, I would have. </p>
<p>"It's...Words can't describe how hard it was." How hard it was to turn around, thinking he heard your chipper voice but then finding nothing. Oh, how even the illusion of you drove him mad! "Unfortunately, I have to deal with the cards I have."</p>
<p>Yuri, motivated by the heart you wear on your sleeve, bares open his own. He tells you everything, of his past hardships, how he never had blood bonds besides his mother. How he found family with the band of mercenaries he joined, along with Abyss and the rest of the Ashen Wolves. The church kicked him out for not following the order for him to kill one of his own. Entertaining and wooing greedy, lecherous nobles by any means necessary just to survive, to aid the ones who had nothing for them at the surface. The unthinkable, the unspeakable, he lays it all out on you.</p>
<p>Because of you, his walls stretched so high up, come crashing down on him. Your hand enveloping his grounds him back from his self-loathing. Indeed, you are too good for him, but to hell with that.</p>
<p>Taking in a shaky breath, you look as if you're going to cry. "Call me a romantic but," you say and wipe a stray tear, "I think you and I were put here to help others, but it doesn't mean you have to do it alone, Yuri." How awful it must have all been for him! To carry such burdens by himself…You ball your free hand into a fist. </p>
<p>Purple hair covering his face, he whispers. "What are you trying to say?" </p>
<p>You grin and poke his cheek. "You have your secrets and all, but you've got to be more honest with your best friend!" Leaning back on your arms, you look up at the bright full moon. "You can rely on me–your friends." It slips out of you but it's too late. "What about starting that supply line again? I don't have anyone to tell me I can't not help."</p>
<p>That stubbornness of yours can make you hard headed, but Yuri likes that aspect about you. Boneheads keep life interesting, he once teased and you pouted so cutely back then. "I take it that you won't take no for an answer?"</p>
<p>You shake your head and clap your hands together gleefully. "But in exchange, promise that you won't leave me." Yuri should be the one saying that to you, seeing as though you had to abandon the monastery to return home. He's taken slightly aback at your offer for him; it's almost too good to be true. Then, he laughs and before you can get annoyed at him for not taking you seriously, Yuri speaks.</p>
<p>"You drive a hard bargain, Madam Merchant. You know that you're offering a full-fledged partnership, right?" Eyes wide, your cheeks go into full bloom and you blubber, trying to find the words to speak.</p>
<p>"Don't look so shocked! You're still as dense as ever." </p>
<p>He flicks your forehead and you grumble. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!?"</p>
<p>Throwing his head back, Yuri guffaws at your question until he realizes that you're being serious. "Marriage, bonehead." Quick as lightning, he cups your face and pierces your soul with that sharp purple gaze. Lowering your wrist until your palm feels his chest, you can feel just how hard his heart is beating.</p>
<p>"All I ever wanted was for someone to go home to, to make me feel loved." Pressing your hand more firmly, he continues. "And I get that from you." To be appreciated not as the facade of the confident, self-assured Yuri that leads the Ashen Wolves with a pretty face and silver tongue, but as himself. He holds you close and whispers it, the name he threw away that only his mother knows. Despite your nickname, you fully understand what that name meant to him. </p>
<p>You wrap your arms around Yuri and you utter the name back to him. This is what bliss must feel like, you conclude. In your life, you measured your happiness in opulence and materialism. Joy was something that your parents gave you when you asked nicely, batting your eyelashes and saying pretty please to any noble that would entertain you. Entering Garreg Mach made you realize how wrong you were, finding happiness in helping others, but you still felt a bit off. </p>
<p>All that most people ever saw was the flighty, rich girl who likes giving things away. Nowadays, everyone sees you as a distant young woman, pretty but too intimidating to approach. You've also had your fair share of people trying to take advantage of your wealth, only wanting you for what you had to offer and not yourself as a person.</p>
<p>It's like you're glass whenever you're with him, and it feels both liberating and frightening at the same time. There's still so much that you don't know about Yuri, when he practically knows all of you. </p>
<p>Why are you so quiet? His slackening grip alerts you back to the present and you quickly withdraw your hug awkwardly. "Sorry."</p>
<p>Ah, so it's going to be like that. Perhaps this is the first, and hopefully the last, time that a gamble he bet it all on backfired against him. "No worries." Yuri stands up to leave but you tug on his sleeves, confused.</p>
<p>"I was thinking about what to say." What is there to be said? An apology? "I got way too happy that I blanked out. Bad habit." Even more confused than you are, Yuri sits back down. "No person has ever, ever made me feel the way that you do, Yuri."</p>
<p>"I've gone my whole life being taken advantage of and to be honest, I thought you were going to be like the rest of them when we first met." You shift your eyes guiltily but meet him back head on. "Yet somehow, I was drawn to you. You intrigued me. I didn't know what it was, but I think it was how gently you treated others. You cherished them, especially the Wolves, and when you asked for my help, you didn't ask for a sliver for yourself too. It was all for your people."</p>
<p>Your hands are significantly smaller than his, Yuri points out mentally, as you hold him with both of yours. "I wanted to know more about you and then suddenly, I realized that I…" There is no turning back. "That I love you." Everything about him made your brain go fuzzy. </p>
<p>Yuri could not believe what he heard, but those words flowed out of you, the you that he absolutely adores. Pulling you close, he captures your lips in a kiss. Absolute and utter bliss. </p>
<p>Fluttering your eyelashes shut, you kiss him back and by the goddess, you've been missing out. As childish as it is, you've been saving your first kiss for your true love, and he's in front of you holding you like you're the most precious thing in Fódlan. Curse the goddess for giving humans the ability to breathe, however. You separate and he says your name like a prayer.</p>
<p>Over and over, you kiss him until both of your lips are slightly swollen and red. When Yuri tries to pull you in again, you press against his chest. "Control yourself, Yuri…!"</p>
<p>"No, I've waited five years to kiss you like this." And with one last long, heated kiss, you finally part. Your mind is hazy and only filled with him. Smiling, he rests his forehead against yours. "I love you."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Never would you have believed that Yuri, calm and cool as moonlight, would be in your arms and longing for you. The same could be said for you. You, whose smile outshines the sun, clinging onto him as if he'll vanish at any moment. The sun and moon were never meant to be forever, but when you look up and see the rise of a new dawn, you can't help but notice that they share the same sky.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi!!!!!!!!!! originally i made a c-s support convo for my OC and yuri and thought it'd be a good idea to turn it into a fic. so you guys all got tricked into reading my very self indulgent oc/canon in the form of a fun reader insert :) don't be mad though......this fic turned out a Lot better than my original script </p>
<p>anyway, animal crossing is out by the time i post this fic!!!! u guys enjoying it so far??? i can't get it now but I Will Eventually.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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